Lubrication of aero and other engines



Aug. 10, 1943. E. PIQUEREZ.

LUBRICATION OF'AERO AND OTHER ENGINES Filed Dec. 16, 1938 4 sheets-sheet 1 Il [I @'Wl'llm lu'l WIWI NIH W :ill l .mlllllll Aug. 10, 1943. E. PIQUERZ 2,325,167

` LUBRICATION OF AERO AND OTHER ENGINES Filed Dec. 16, 1958 4 Sheekzs-Sheer,` 2

31u/vendo@ www Aug- 10, 1943 v E. PlQUEREz 2,326,167

lLUBRICATION OF AERO AND OTHER ENGINES Filed Dec, 16, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheetv 3 LO I w 5:42 EQ 9 i .S3 i i5 Aug. 10, 1943. E. PIQUI-:REZ 2,326,167

LUBRICATION OF AERO AND OTHER ENGINES Filed Dec. 16, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet Buma/n10@ Patented Aug. 10, 1943 Y lrlile Iiliquerez, A.Saint-(lfloutl` the Alien Property Custodian Aicetionpe'ce" tenis, 1938; igz

',In Fr ce December 24, 1937 This invention Arelates to the` lubrcatiojnffdf es h aero and other engines and has for. its Chief Ob-y to tl'ledischarge ports oi the Crankshaft, ien j ject the provision of improvements in the lubrieaf tion of such engines when Istarting, particilafrly under conditions of 10W temperatures; `In a general Way the lubrcationpf aero'lefnglr'es is` effected by means or Va pump Whchis fed from a reservoir and forces the oil into the orange b he quan: shaft f the engine; the said reservoir being itself tity f tn' t o'f the fed by a sel-called ezynaustpummwnlen; wlatter. ing theoil. from the ucrankc'ase'of the e ne, The lubri forcesit through a radiator, the object of Whih sto ensure the ooling of theoil, to tlleleser- Voir; Tl'lerst said pump, properly calledthe lu-` bricating pump, is provided with a by-pas s 'whcl i opens ata predetermined pressure and, the resistance to the lubricant'v llow and consequently the pressure Vin the crankshafty rises .aboveltlie aforesaid pressure limit, discharges direotly, into the engine crank case or returns the lubricant tothe inlet side ofthe pump. When starting in coldrweather the o il may be' congealed in the `clnal'lk` oas e The resistance which it thenoiers to the delivery of the `p urrlp causes the operation of the said ley-pass;` so' that; in, the absenc Qf any other arrangement, the.

lubrcationol the engine is irladequateor u'1' peratureu n l certain. sliliate thisv i The only Way of overcoming this drawback in practice has been tn heat the voilin the feed reser- Voir 0f the `lubriCalf/ilg pump eitherin Situ! .Whieh is often inconvenient and vis always a lerig y procedure, or inra se ,pa rate v ess'el,r which cessiv Y tates the provision of h eatingdevce'Sl, Some rins o f which have no connection with thesad resorvoir, the contents of Wllon are completely trans?` ferred,l while others of v vvlflfiell are included inl a Clo ed circuit starting from and returning to this reservoir.

1 ornprlslrlg essentially' In all these lcases the apparatus is expensive, oil provdedjvit'rfl i ge lerally bulky,` and in ani? case `only permits i compaljt'rnentsnoihvar; starting being elected after ailapse of sufficient connected to a so r time for theheating oftlleoil.` It is an loj 't u oi this invention to provide'amethcd for yesurf neeted to tileJinlet ofthen in'g the lubrication of engines of all types, tut 45 gl'rij jolntlywith the dischargewgrtnelabile M more particularly of laero"engines,y ,Wnenustarting ingpuinpha nonreturn valve; eing provided linn in cold Weather, whereby these drawbacks are this"disehargebelovvtlle by.-- to preventiany avoided. l 'possibilitv ci" the hot oil owing' back towards This method consists essentially in neuve ing therpurnpangl tjvrar tneeelreelwirf into the cranksnaft,y anauxliary flovvwof not Voil 5o In an advantageous constuctor'ifior a'ddiiidlal to the main flw Ofpilirqm .the 1116- 011ithaifeprareenrcese es Seisilthlebie i" bricatir'ig punir?, the saidzh t oil beingI undernali pressure chamber of tl'l" df container is opressure greater than the delivery pressure of the vided with meansmfor-connectifle it with ithe a't'- running normally and after the lapse of a certain time, permits of this tank being re-lled with the oil of the normal lubricating system which under these conditions is at a relatively high temperature, the operation being effected preferably just before the stopping of the engine. Thefpiston in the container can be omitted, in which case the container is provided with means for, on the one hand, closing the oil outlet once the emptying has been completed, and, on the other hand, shutting o the communication of the container with the` atmosphere at the'end of the filling operation.

The container having been filled inthe manner set forth above, can be enclosed in a thermally insulated casing which is provided with a permanent source of heat, which can be sufcient merely to compensate for the slow heat losses of the insulated system and the losses by conduction along the pipes.

VThis heat source can consist, for example, of ranelectric resistance fed from the current supply offthe aircraft, or it can consist cf .a catalyticpetrol heater,

VThis system can be further improved by the adoption of means 'avoiding losses by conduction along the pipes. .To this end the container is movably connected `between two quickly detachable couplings, and an insulating and heating casing capable of receiving the detached container is provided.

The heating means c an in this last case have alower heating power than in the aforesaid case. ThisV last system can be arranged separate from the aircraft and this avoids ,the necessity of using means on the craft,'in particular the `current from the batteries. n

Finally itis obvious that the power `of` the heating means canthen be very much reduced, it

being Yunderstood that the thermally insulating means can be arranged to ensure ther maintaining of the temperature for a relatively long time. It Wouldbe of advantageto arrange that this heat-Y ing means should be able, whenl necessary, to furnish a greater supply of heat which would only' be required when it is desired 'to effect the complete initial `heating of the' contents the con-U tainer before putting it intouse.

Y Finallyit follows that, Vin place of the afore` said arrangements, a permanent-.'supply" of oil containers can be `provided`on the aerodrome arrangedl in a Yheating andfinsulating casing. These wouldV be 'used rin 'accordance with requirements, the containerwhich has just been removed.

being 'replaced each ytime by a full container, sucli a`s that which would have been removed from the engine? c y VThe accompanying drawings show by way of example .a schematic arrangement of apparatus for Asarrying out the method'accordingV to the invention, and the adaptation of this apparatus to a'parti'cular engine. Inthe drawings: i

Figurenl shows thel assembly diagrammatically in elevation and partly in section;

Figure 2 showsinyertical section an arrangementr forheating the container when removed from the apparatus;

Y Figure 3 is a partial longitudinal section of ai particular engine to which the apparatus is applied;

Figure 4 is section aiongtne une fafa- La;

of Figure 3, and

oil delivered by the lubricating pump Il.

In Figure l, I2' indicates the feed reservoir of the said pump El, which reservoir is itself fed bythe pump I9, drawing from the crank case 2@ and discharging through the radiator 2l to reservoir I8.

The container lis connected to the source of pressure air and to the crankshaft, for example by pipes 22 and 23 respectively. A valve 2li in the pipe 22V enables the admission of air under pres sure to be permitted or prevented at will.

The container I can be permanently connected between the pipes 22 and 23. In this case it would be surrounded in place by some suitable source of heat, itself preferably contained in an insulated casing. l

In the preferred embodiment of Figure l the container is removably connected between the two pipes, 'for example by means of quick action couplings and 26 having a valve opening automatically under the action of the coupling. In this case a valve 2l included in the pipe 23 enables the latter to be closed when the container is not in place. In the drawings (Figure l) the com taineris shown as being detached from the pipe f 23 solely for thefpurpose of showing the coupling 25 moreclearly. To avoid all error in connecting up it is'v advantageous to provide two types of coupling, thev one' 25 having three coupling dogs and the other 2S having two dogs.

In the above case where a removable container is used it is obvious that it could be relilled outside the apparatus by suitable means, but asV has been said this operation is advantageously'performed by refilling the container in place, when it has fulfilled its purpose, by means of the lubricating pump itself. For this it will suffice to providemeans for connecting the compartment !2 to the atmosphere for example by means of a valve 28.

When this 'is possible the installation can be completed by providing a check valve such as 29 below the passage ofthe by-pass 3G of the pump Il, the valve of which is indicated at 3l. This is to avoid any ow of the hot oil in the direction of the pump, and beyond it. By reason of the small flow of the hot oil and its direct passage leading to the crankshaftvand due to its highv 'be full fof hot oil and in place in the apparatus,

the operation is as follows:

VThe valves 2l and 24 are opened, the valve 28 being closed. 'Ifhe compressed air entering the container forces back the piston H which by its movement gradually forces the hot cil from the compartment I3 into the pipe 23 and thence to the box l and the crankshaft ifi-I5,

Although the crankshaft may be full of cold congealed oil, it will be clearly understood that the injected o il will rinda passage around the core of coldoil and will advance in the form of an annular streaml around this core. Thus whileY liquefying the co1d oil it willpass directly to the essere? delivery por-ts of theycrankshait `so that lubrication of the engine Wil-1 begin, it .beingensured thatthe latter can, under these oonditionsbe estarterat the same time -as the linjection of hot lfoil or some moments `after the beginning of this iriection` l Y VHence the fluidity, and consequently the rate of how, of the main oi-l "supply, which is initially negligible, will increase rapidly owing to the additional heating provided .by the operation'of the engine, `and at the end of a shorttime the -main flow by itself Will be suiicienttoensurelubrication. The capacity of the container and the rate of 4iflovv of hot oil will naturally bead- .jiusted so that this ioW stop-s at this moment. When the aeroplane is nearly readytoland, at any rate a, little before the stopping of the engi-ne, it is enough merely to open the valve 23 communicating with the atmosphere, after hav- ,ing closed the valve 2li to avoid `any loss of com- 4.pressed air, to ensure the automatic iilling of the Container with oil from the main lubricating system itself, which oil is consequently `already ata relatively high temperature. g

` In order to have this reserve When a -fresh start is made it will, in practice,` sufce to maintain the temperature of the oil or to increase it slightly. To do this, in the embodiment according to Figure l Where'the container is removable, theV valve 2l' is closed vand the container is Vtransferred to an insulating and heating apparatus such as that shown in Figure 2, arranged either Von the craft, or on land.

This apparatus comprises, for example, a casing 32 provided with a quick acting cover 33 and having an internal heat insulating lining 35 and heating means such as an asbestos-covered or otherwise insulated electrical resistance 35. An air space is left between this resistance 35 and the lining 34 While a connector 35 connects the supply of current to the resistance. The free internal space of the apparatus is adapted to receive the container l to which are attached only the two coupling elements.

The heating capacity ofthe resistance S5, or of any other heating means which may be employed can be a minimum, even less than in the ,case Where the heating is effected on board the aeroplane, owing to the fact that the losses by conduction along the pipes are` avoided. It is desirable, nevertheless, for it toY be sufficient to effect, in time, the entire heating of the contents of the container, which Would only be necessary when the container is rst put in service. In the case of an electrical resistance it is suflicient for this purpose to provide a rheostat or the equivalent.

at its after extremity into -achamber 39 communicating jby-means of ports lili with, a casinglli enclosingY the operating gears of the various pumps--- t In Figure `l the chamberf is shown as a pipe in `order-nto make this gure more understandable. )InfFigure 4, i2V indicates one ofthe gears of the lubricating pump which discharges into the axial passage `5.3 opening into the chamber El; 'lill indicates the by-pass valve of this pump.'

A The injection of the auxiliary stream oi het oil takes place through the conduit 231 'which is identical to the conduit 2S of Figure l. This `conduit ends in a pipe 45 which connects it with a passage L16 opening into the chamber lil.

The apparatusY supplying hot oil is not reproduced in'Figure `3j Ibeing similar to that` of igN ure 1. v The `apparatus ldescribed above 'can vnaturally operate in any position.

VIn the embodimentof Figure 5 the container, which Ais arranged to operate' only in a vertical position, vdoes not comprise a piston, but is provided wtih means, on the one hand, for closing .its discharge opening at the end of the emptying operation to avoid the admission of compressed air into the lubricating system and, on the other hand, for cutting automatically the communi- I'cation With the atmosphere at the Vend of the lling of the container with oil drawn from the lubricating system. 1 f f As can be seen 'from Figure 5, in this embodiment the het. oil container 50 comprises on` the side where the compressed air is admitted a neat 5lV guided'inl any suitable manner and attached to a valve 52. This latter` is adapted to close the port 53 at the completion of the filling of the container With hot oil from the mainlubricating circuit of the engine, the valve 28 communieating with the atmosphere then being open and the compressed air valve 24 closed, as has been explained above.

As soon as filling is complete the valve 28 is closed.

The container being full can be left in place in the case Where thermally insulating means has been provided to maintain the tempera-ture of the hot oil.

When the time for the oil to be used arrives `it is suflicient to open the compressed air valve 24 and the contents of the container will be delivered to the crankshaft of the engine through the pipe'23.

To prevent the admission, at the'end of the emptying of the container, of compressed air `into the lubricating system, there is provided at It Will be understood also that, in place of an Y arrangement of a single containersuch as that of Figure 2, a number of such containers could be provided, with Va casing having a number oi compartments, so as to provide a reserve of containers which are used as required, each container, as removed, being replaced by a'full container such as that justJ being replaced onthe aeroplane. L Figures 3 and 4 show a modified adaptation of the apparatus to a particular engine, Which is only distinguished from thepreceding arrangement by the fact that in this case there isr no check valve 29.

In Figure 3, 51 indicates thecrankshaft and |41 its internal passage. The latter is in this case supplied through a passage ffl Within the pump operating shaft 38, which passage opens the bottom of the container another valve arrangement 54 having afloat 55 adapted to close the outlet port 56 at that moment. It is obvious that the functions of closing these ports 53 and 56, opened at the proper times, could be fulfilled by tWo valves attached to a single iioat instead of to two floats.

What I claim is;

1. In a lubricating system for engines having an oil pump and oil conduits connected with a crankshaft to be lubricated,'a receptacle for hot oil, auxiliary means for heating the oil in said receptacle, said receptacle having an oil chamber and aV compressed gas chamber, means for connecting said oil` chamber with said oil conduits, a source of compressed gas, means connecting the gas chamber of said receptacle with said source of compressed gas, means for opening the connection with the compressed gas pressed air, and means for opening said gas' chamber to the atmosphere to allow VhotA oil to enter the oil chamber under the pressure generated by the oil pump after the oil in the lubricating system is heated.

erated by the oil pump after the oil in the 1ubricating system is heated.

3; In a lubricating system for engines having an oil pump and oil conduits connected With a crankshaft to be lubricated, a receptacle for hot oil, auxiliary means for heating the oil in said receptacle, means for connecting the lower part of said receptacle withV said oil conduits, a source 2. In a lubricating system for engines having an oil pump and 'oil conduits connected with a crankshaft to be lubricated, a receptacle for hot oil, auxiliary means for heating the oil in said receptacle, said receptacle having ar reciprocable piston dividing the inner space thereof into an oil chamber and a compressed gas chamber, means for connecting said oil chamber with said oil conduits, a source `of compressed gas, means connecting the gas chamber of said receptacle with said source of compressed gas, means for `opening the connection with the compressed gas source, whereby, before the engine starts, the oil in the cil chamber can be placed under higher pressure than; the pressure produced by the oil pump so as to force the oil to the parts to be lubricated under pressure sufficiently high to overcome the resistance set up by congealed oil in the conduits, means` for shutting off said compressed air, and means for opening said gas chamber to the atmosphere to allow hot oil to enter the oil chamber under the pressure genof compressed gas, means connecting the Aupper part of'said receptacle With said source of compressed gas, means for opening the connection With the compressed gas source, whereby, before the engine starts, the oil in the receptacle can be placed under higher pressure than the pressure produced by the oil pump so as to force the oil to the parts to be lubricated under pressure suciently high to overcome the resistance set up by congealed oil in the conduits, means for shutting off said compressed air, means for opening the upper part of the receptacle to the atmosphere to allow hot oil to enter the receptacle under the pressure generated by the oil pump after the oil in the lubricating system is heated, a float in the upper end of said chamber having a valve for closing off the connection With the gas source and atmosphere when the receptacle is substantially full of oil, and a second float located at the bottom end of said receptacle and having a valve for closing off the connection with the oil conduits of the system when the chamber is substantially emptied of oil to prevent gas from passing from said receptacle into said conduits.

ElVlILE PIQUEREZ. 

